If you are a frequent flyer there is a good chance that you have accrued a lot of airline miles which you can sell for cash. Maybe you have taken advantage of these miles at some point or maybe you are just hanging on to them because you don’t really know when the most effective time to use them is.
Well, most people view miles as being something that is free. People think that if they can exchange these miles for a ticket then they should always do so. This isn’t necessarily a terrible approach to the miles system, but it really isn’t the most effective.
When You Need Flexibility, Use Airline Miles
When you need the benefit of flexibility on your side, you should without a doubt consider using those saved up miles for a ticket. What does this mean exactly?
Well, when you normally trade miles for a ticket, you can oftentimes change or cancel a rewards flight for less than it would cost to change a cash flight. If you are not 100 percent sure that you are going to be departing on this exact date that the ticket is scheduled for then added flexibility can come in handy.
Long-Haul Or Premium Flights
You can ask any expert or any frequent flyer and they will tell you that the best time to use those miles is when you are flying on long-haul or premium flights. This means if you are flying first-class of business over long distances then you will want to take advantage of those miles. The reason for this is because the tickets for these flights will be much more expensive.
When In Doubt
One of the most important things that you need to remember miles is that they do not grow more valuable with age. In fact, the value of miles decreases over time due to frequent devaluations. This is why when the question of using the miles or not rises, you should just go ahead and take advantage of them.